'Making Connections' must be taught explicitly to show the pupils that there can be many points to connect, that the connections could be linear or come back on itself, the connections can be one way or two way or we can connect lots of different points to one central point.

Confused?

Think of a journey from A to B.  It's straight forward.  Now add a stop-over flight.  Now add each different location (store, departure lounge, taxi rank).  Now imagine you drank too much and have to keep running to the bathroom.  Now think of the duty free sales with all the passengers going to the same shelf.  Now expand and think of all the passengers in all the airports and travelling on all the planes across the globe.

Better?

What has it got to do with literature though?!

Perhaps your character is on a journey?

Perhaps the chronological order of the narrative is not written in order. (Sometimes there are flashbacks too).

Perhaps there are clues to a mystery or foreshadowing of an event.

Sometimes it's difficult to distinguish between 'Explaining Patterns' and 'Making Connections'.

For plot/ chronological order of events I suggest storyboarding (older pupils can use symbols instead of pictures).

For theme, I suggest using graphic organisers or the brainstorm.

I hope it was interesting:)